The Boy In Love // THG Peeta's POV

The Deal

Dozens of glassy eyes watched me, their empty stares boring through my body. The broken bodies lay strewn in the grass haphazardly, skin stained with dried and darkened blood. I was on my knees, the life leaking out of me bit by bit while Katniss' final screams echoed around the empty arena. And as my dying breath rattled through my chest, I heard a terrible, haunting sound:

"Up, up, up!" trilled a frustratingly peppy voice.

My head snapped up from my pillow in an instant and I threw the covers back in a violent motion. I was on my feet in an instant and I lunged at the sound, tripping over my own feet and falling flat on my face.

"What on earth are you doing!?" Effie shrieked, taking a panicked step back and clutching her chest.

I blinked, getting up from the floor slowly, my mind blank. I was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that I was dressed only in a loose pair of shorts, my muscled chest fully on display. "I...uh... What are you doing?" I replied smoothly, raising my eyebrows accusatorily and drawing a protective arm over my scars.

Effie narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm waking you up."   

I nodded slowly. "I'm awake." She just stared at me, her large purple wig slightly askew. Time to change the subject. "Now I should get dressed." This seemed to snap her out of her trance.

"Yes, yes, yes! It's a big, big, big day!" With that, she marched out of the room, off to annoy someone else. 

As the adrenaline left me, I slumped backward onto my bed. What had I been thinking, leaping at her like that? She just shocked me so much. The nightmares were getting worse, more detailed and realistic. I shook my head at nothing to clear my mind of the cobwebs that seemed to be coating my thoughts.

I searched through the dresser in my room blindly, grabbing the first shirt and pants I found; a white button down and khakis, both made of finer material than I had ever touched. I didn't bother with my hair, leaving it in its soft tousled state. Though when I peered in the mirror, I almost jumped backward.

I looked like a shell of myself, my formerly tanned skin ashen and my crystal blue eyes almost gray. The dark circles under my eyes had grown exponentially as a result of Haymitch's antics last night. Even so, what does it matter? I'll be dead too soon to care.

When I entered the dining room, I was greeted by the rare sight of a sober Haymitch. His ratty blonde hair was still greasy and hanging loosely around his face, but he had on fresh clean clothes today; a gray vest over a light blue button down.

"Hello," I greeted, praying that he wouldn't recall the events of last night.

"Peeta, right?" he asked, reaching for the fruit tureen. 

"Yeah," I replied as I took a seat at the loaded table. He was quiet for a moment as I filled my elegant plate with everything I laid eyes on and sniffed a mysterious cup of a rich brown substance.

"Hot chocolate."

"Huh?"

"The stuff you're sniffing. These Capitol people call it hot chocolate. Try it, it's good."

I nodded and took a cautious sip. "Mmm!" I hummed, surprised at the taste.

"Yeah. You never really get used to their delicacies, take it from me."

Before I could reply, Effie swept into the dining car, a flurry of energy. "Katniss will be along shortly I presume, though the poor dear did look a tad distraught. Why do you suppose that is? Anywho, she will just love the Capitol, and so will you! Isn't that right Haymitch?" she babbled, the words tumbling out of her mouth without so much as a pause to take a breath while she poured herself a cup of dark coffee. "Peeta, aren't you excited? It's a big big big day! And Haymitch, it's good to see you so bright and bushy tailed. And sober too! Let's stay that way all through the day, shall we? But it's good to see you've recovered from last night's umm... snafu."